SE Asia Stocks-Mostly down ahead of Fed, BOJ policy decisions

JAKARTA, April 27 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock
markets fell on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious ahead of
central bank policy decisions in the United States and Japan.
While the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest
rates steady later in the day when the two-day Federal Open
Market Committee (FOMC) meeting ends, it could also take a more
upbeat view on the economy, keeping the way open for future rate
hikes.
"Everybody is on a wait-and-see mood. They want to see the
Fed views on the U.S. economy and Bank of Japan's stimulus
measures," said Teerada Charnyingyong, an analyst with Phillip
Capital in Bangkok.
The Bank of Japan makes its policy decision on Thursday amid
some speculation it could ramp up its already extensive monetary
stimulus scheme, which includes negative interest rates on some
deposits at the BOJ.
Thailand's SET index was down 0.4 percent,
Singapore's Strait Times Index fell 0.5 percent, Malaysia
declined 0.5 percent, and the Philippines traded
0.9 percent weaker.
Vietnam's benchmark VN Index fell 0.5 percent in
first-half trade, with most shares heading south led by banks.
Bucking the trend, the Jakarta Composite Index was
trading 0.4 percent higher, heading for its first gain in three
sessions.
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SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
Change at 0515 GMT
Market Current previous close Pct Move
Singapore 2880.39 2894.66 -0.49
Bangkok 1412.76 1418.78 -0.42
Manila 7144.98 7211.92 -0.93
Jakarta 4830.72 4814.093 0.35
Kuala Lumpur 1684.31 1692.5 -0.48
Ho Chi Minh 595.45 598.48 -0.51
(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)